“I’m proud we were able
to ensure Coloradans aren’t dealing with these surprise medical bills through
no fault of their own,”
said Rep. Esgar, D-Pueblo. “This is a big, bipartisan win for consumers and
hardworking families and a solution to a problem.We responded to the
concerns of families, individuals and seniors who have been hit by these
surprise and all too often – expensive surprise medical bills.”

The bill was signed at
the Pueblo Community Health Center this afternoon.

HB19-1174 Prohibits
providers from charging exorbitant amounts for out-of-network care when the
patient unknowingly went out of network. It also requires providers to inform
consumers of their rights regarding bills sent to them by out-of-network
providers. The bill does not prohibit patients from incurring out-of-network
costs when they intentionally go out-of-network for their care but puts
safeguards in place to prevent unexpected medical bills in these situations.

Out-of-network bills can
be more than 30 times the average in-network rate. Fifty-seven percent of
patients who encountered out-of-network bills paid the bills in full because
they didn’t know of their right to fight these bills. This legislation is
meant to help control costs in out-of-network billing situations by setting a
reasonable rate of payment for these providers and facilities. The bill was
also sponsored by Rep. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose.

The Governor also signed
bipartisan bill HB19-1287 to help address the opioid crisis in Southern
Colorado at the Crossroads Treatment Clinic in Pueblo.

“There are significant
barriers for individuals who are seeking treatment and want to be in recovery.
This bill will give them the tools to break down these barriers,” Rep. Esgar said. “People often encounter
barriers when trying to access treatment to overcome their addiction. This new,
bipartisan law puts a system in place that is ready to help Coloradans navigate
treatment and recovery options and a system that works for everyone involved.”

HB19-1287 now directs
the Department of Human Services to implement a web-based tracking system to
track available treatment capacity at behavioral health facilities and at
programs for medication-assisted treatment and medical detoxification for
substance use disorders.

This law also directs
the Department of Human Services to implement a care navigation system to
assist individuals to obtain access to treatment for substance use disorders,
including medical detoxification and residential and inpatient treatment.

Lastly, the new law
creates a grant program for substance use disorder treatment in underserved
communities to provide services in rural and frontier communities, prioritizing
areas of the state that are unserved or underserved. The bipartisan law is a
product of the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Interim
Committee.